Today's Highlights
|
Final Vote Set for Friday As Members Review Debt Reduction Proposals
Today
The Presidential Debt Commission held a public hearing yesterday to discuss the final report on their recommendations. This morning on the Washington Journal, Reuters reporter Kevin Drawbaugh and Debt Commission Member Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) discuss the commission’s proposals, relating what compromises were made and what issues sparked disputes among members.
Read More »
A vote to move forward with the deficit proposal was pushed back to Friday to allow panel members to review the plan. In order for the Commission to submit its report to Congress, 14 of the 18 members need to vote in its support.
The plan, titled “The Moment of Truth,” calls for cutting $4 trillion from the national debt before 2020 by placing a cap on discretionary spending. The main feature of the plan eliminates expenditures from the tax code, known as “tax earmarks,” which amount to $1.1 trillion a year.
Other recommendations include raising the Social Security retirement age, reducing tax rates and cutting government spending.
Senators Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire voiced support for the proposal, saying “the fiscal course of the country requires their support.” However, several other members of Congress voiced opposition to the plan, including Reps. Schakowsky, Ryan, and Hensarling.
|
|
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Hearings Begin on Capitol Hill
Today
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will face questioning on the Pentagon’s review of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today.
Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the ranking member on the committee, has been critical of efforts to repeal the ban.
The 10-month review, released on Tuesday, supports Sec. Gates’ efforts to overturn the current 17-year-old law, which bans gay, lesbian or bisexual service members from serving openly in the military. It includes a survey of service members on the perceived impact of lifting the ban and concludes that lifting the policy will not negatively affect military operations,
Tomorrow the committee will get personal views from the chiefs of staff of the Army, Air Force and the Navy, as well as the commandants of the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard.
|
Oil Commission looks into Safety and Regulatory oversight of Deepwater Drilling
Today
The high-level commission determining the cause of the BP oil spill meets for a sixth meeting today to discuss the root causes of the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and options to guard against and mitigate the impacts of future spills.
The seven-member oil spill commission will hear day-long presentations today from various experts on the safety culture of the offshore drilling industry as well as the regulatory oversight. In an afternoon session the panel will listen to speeches about drilling in the Arctic along with a discussion on oil spill response.
The commission staff released preliminary reports last week concluding that the federal government was not prepared to provide sufficient cleanup supervision and the oil industry was also unprepared to respond to a deepwater oil blowout.
The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling commission was created by President Obama in May, to make recommendations on how to prevent and mitigate the impact of any future spills that result from offshore drilling.
|
|
|
Recent Programs
|
The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on so-called mini health insurance policies. These policies pay for basic medical expenses, but also include strict spending caps. Once those caps are reached, patients must pay for medical expenses out-of-pocket. Witnesses at this hearing include the Chief Human Resources Officer of McDonald’s, which offers its employees mini insurance policies.
Washington, DC
: 1 hr. 56 min.
|
Hearing on Mini-Policies
|
|
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell urged the Senate to ratify the new START treaty which would scale down U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals. Those comments came after an Oval Office meeting with President Obama. The President began by praising Mr. Powell’s work on education issues.
Washington, DC
: 11 min.
|
Pres. Obama & Fmr. Sec. of State Powell
|
|
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs conducted a daily briefing at the White House. He said he believes Congress has enough time to take up the START treaty, the DREAM Act and other issues despite Senate Republicans' threats to block all action on everything except tax policy and the federal budget.
Washington, DC
: 42 min.
|
White House Briefing
|
|
The House Foreign Affairs Committee heard from two top State and Treasury Department officials about the effectiveness of U.S. and United Nations sanctions on Iran. The sanctions are aimed at slowing that nation’s nuclear program. The hearing comes a week before diplomats from Iran, the U.S., China and several European nations meet in Geneva to discuss the Iranian nuclear program.
Washington, DC
: 2 hr. 39 min.
|
House Hearing: From Earlier
|
|
Prime Minister David Cameron participated in the weekly Question Time before the British House of Commons. He talked about a number of domestic issues, including education, crime, and the British bid to host an upcoming World Cup soccer tournament.
Washington, DC
: 32 min.
|
Prime Minister's Questions
|
|
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) will attend negotiations over the Bush era tax cuts. Senator Reid starts by introducing Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who will be taking over as Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman.
Washington, DC
: 6 min.
|
Senate Democrats
|
|
Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and other Senate Republicans spoke to members of the press after attending their weekly party policy lunch on Capitol Hill. Topics discussed include the Bush tax cuts and the START treaty with Russia.
Washington, DC
: 4 min.
|
Senate GOP Leaders
|
|
This Week on C-SPAN
- Please check back for schedule updates
|